Exeter's recreation center jumps into summer

EXETER — Officials are looking to have a banner summer at the Exeter Recreation Complex.

AARON SANBORN

EXETER — Officials are looking to have a banner summer at the Exeter Recreation Complex.

Its outdoor pool, playground and tennis courts already make it a popular summer destination and now the complex is adding a new summer favorite: ice cream.

An addition to the complex's pool house has allowed for an expanded concession area, which now offers ice cream.

Now open, the concession area features eight flavors of Gifford's Ice Cream.

Parks and Recreation Director Mike Favreau said the concession area previously offered ice cream novelties, such as ice cream bars and sandwiches, which staff purchased in bulk at the grocery store. But that way of doing things was difficult because staff members were forced to go back and forth to the store and the concession's storage area was so small.

So when it came time for the building addition, Favreau and staff members saw their chance to expand the concession area's offerings. They eventually reached an agreement with Gifford's, which is based with Skowhegan, Maine.

The concession area now has two large freezers, one to store the ice cream and the other to scoop the ice cream.

"We had a really tiny concession area before, everything was really jammed together," Favreau said. "This allows us more room to work and a chance to expand our offerings."

Those offerings will include snow cones, ice cream sundaes and other snacks, according to Favreau. "We've doubled our size and we're thinking we could double our sales as well," he said.

All told, the expansion to the pool house was roughly 10 feet by 35 feet and included new changing rooms in the men's rest room and a handicap ramp at the rear of the building.

The pool house also underwent a smaller expansion on the opposite side of the building a year ago. That expansion added some storage and an overhang to the entrance.

The expansion cost $80,000, Favreau said.

In addition to physical changes, wireless Internet is now available at the complex.

"We're just trying to make things as user-friendly as possible," he said.

Money for the improvements came from the department's revolving fund, which holds the user and impact fees from the department's programing.

The fund has helped the department make a number of improvements to the facility already, including the addition of a splash pad area near the pools in 2006 and the expansion of the deck area to include shade spots.

Favreau said all the previous changes at the complex have been well received and he's hoping the expanded concession area will be another success.

The recreation complex is currently open but the outdoor pool isn't scheduled to open until June 11.

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